Today modern LED lighting is also available for your aquarium. Without any light, photosynthesis and the growth of your plants would stop. But how many lumens per liter are actually necessary? In this guide you will find a simple light calculator to calculate the light requirements for your aquarium with a few parameters.
Calculate your Aquarium Lighting
The lighting in your aquarium is not only necessary for a beautiful appearance. The plants also need the light for photosynthesis and the resulting stimulated growth. The amount of light depends mainly on the following two factors:
- Volume of the aquarium
- Light requirement of the planting
Aquatic plants can be divided into three groups for this purpose:
| Demand | Level | Required Lighting |
|---|---|---|
| slight | simple | 10 – 20 lumens/liter |
| medium | normal | 20 – 30 lumens/liter |
| ambitious | high | from 40 lumens/liter |
A conventional aquarium lighting with fluorescent tubes could be calculated based on watts per liter. LED aquarium lighting, on the other hand, should be calculated using lumens per liter.
Aquarium Lighting Calculator
The following calculator will help you to calculate the total light requirements of your aquarium. Simply enter the dimensions or volume of your aquarium and the light requirements of your plants.
Conclusion
With this light calculator you can easily calculate the light requirements for your aquarium. The result will help you to choose the right LED aquarium lighting. As simple as the calculation may seem, the result can only serve as a guideline.
In practice, there are many other factors such as the light spectrum or the beam angle of the lamps, which can have an influence on the amount of light.
